A auto-avaliação em línguas estrangeiras: concepções e práticas dos professores

Dissertação de Mestrado em Educação - Área de Especialização em Supervisão Pedagógica em Ensino das Línguas EstrangeirasNeste estudo, realizámos uma investigação sobre concepções e práticas de autoavaliação de um grupo de professores de Línguas Estrangeiras numa escola EB 2/3 do distrito de Braga – Norte de Portugal. Tendo consciência de que a auto-avaliação deve ser encarada como um instrumento fundamental ao serviço da optimização do processo de ensino/aprendizagem, pretendeu-se compreender a importância que este grupo de professores de línguas (Inglês e Francês) atribui a esta modalidade, o modo como a promove junto dos alunos, os instrumentos a que recorre para a sua operacionalização e os principais constrangimentos que enfrenta durante todo o processo. Assim sendo, o estudo teve como principais objectivos: - Conhecer concepções e práticas dos professores no âmbito da auto-avaliação em LE; - Identificar factores de constrangimento e facilitação de práticas de auto-avaliação em LE. Optámos pela realização de um estudo de caso de natureza interpretativa, através da aplicação de um inquérito por questionário a todos os docentes de línguas estrangeiras a exercer funções na escola (n=12), e realizámos uma sessão de trabalho sobre o tema em estudo, para a qual foram convidados pessoalmente todos os professores envolvidos no preenchimento do questionário. Nesta sessão, foi ainda possível recolher alguns instrumentos de auto-avaliação a que recorrem habitualmente, os quais foram analisados quanto às funções e enfoques da auto-avaliação que promovem. Os resultados obtidos permitiram-nos inferir que este grupo de docentes considera que a auto-avaliação assume um papel preponderante na regulação da aprendizagem do aluno e das práticas do professor, uma vez que lhes permite obter um feedback necessário à optimização do processo de ensino/aprendizagem. Isto é, ela exerce um efeito supervisivo, permitindo identificar aspectos positivos e negativos na sua actuação. No entanto, vários são os constrangimentos apontados para a realização desta prática, dos quais destacamos a falta de responsabilidade dos alunos na realização da auto-avaliação, a necessidade de cumprir o programa e o peso tradicionalmente conferido aos testes de avaliação sumativa. A necessidade de maior concertação nas escolas acerca dos critérios e instrumentos de auto-avaliação surge como a recomendação principal do estudo.In this study a research was developed on beliefs and practices of a group of foreign language teachers regarding student self-evaluation. The study took place in a lower secondary school (grades 5-9) in the district of Braga (North of Portugal). Taking into consideration that self-evaluation should be looked upon as a fundamental instrument with the purpose of improving the process of holistic language learning, the aim of the study was to understand the importance that this group of foreign language teachers (French and English) gives to this practice, the way it is carried out with their students, the resources that they revert to and the main difficulties they have to face in carrying it out. The main objectives of this study were: 1. Understanding teachers’ beliefs and practices of self-evaluation in foreign language learning; 2. Identifying facilitating and constraining factors in the process of self-evaluation in foreign language education. The case study followed an interpretive methodology. Data collection was carried out in 2006/07 and resulted from the administration of a questionnaire to all the foreign language teachers who were teaching at that school (n=12). A working session on the theme was conducted, where all the teachers who were involved in the survey were invited to discuss the data from the questionnaire. Self-evaluation instruments used by the teachers were collected and analysed with regard to the focus and aims of self-evaluation practices. The results indicate that self-evaluation plays and important role in the regulation of student learning and enables the teachers to understand this process and supervise teaching on the basis of student feedback. Constraints refer mainly to students’ attitudes towards self-evaluation tasks, the need to cover the syllabus, and the importance of summative assessment. The need to foster teacher collaboration for the definition of common self-evaluation tools and criteria is a major recommendation deriving from the study

Problemas de ajustamento psicológico em crianças expostas a violência nas relações íntimas : será que o tipo de residência faz a diferença?

Orientação: Diogo Lamela ; co-orientação: Ricardo PintoA investigação sobre o ajustamento psicológico de crianças expostas a violência nas relações de intimidade (VRI) tem algumas limitações importantes que precisam ser abordadas, tais como a utilização de amostras exclusivamente comunitárias, através de projetos transversais com medidas retrospetivas de auto-relato. Uma limitação importante da literatura é que não são encontrados estudos que analisem o impacto da residência em Casa Abrigo vs. a viver em casa com a mãe e com o companheiro agressivo no desenvolvimento e ajustamento psicológico nas crianças. Tendo em conta tais limitações, o presente estudo teve como objetivo testar diferenças entre crianças que viviam em Casa Abrigo destinadas para vítimas de VRI e crianças que viviam na residência com a mãe e o companheiro agressivo. Neste estudo foi utilizada uma amostra de alto risco, de 155 mães e 155 crianças, com mães e crianças a residir em Casa Abrigo e outras a residir em casa com o companheiro agressivo. De modo a testar tais diferenças, foram recolhidos dados sobre o ajustamento da criança, tais como os níveis de sintomas de internalização (SI) e sintomas de externalização (SE), bem como variáveis do ajustamento materno e da parentalidade, que a investigação prévia indicou serem preditivas do ajustamento psicológico das crianças, nomeadamente a frequência de vitimação, psicopatologia, suporte social, práticas parentais e competência materna. Os principais resultados obtidos revelaram que as mães a viver em Casa Abrigo relatam mais problemas de internalização e externalização nos seus filhos do que mães a viverem com o companheiro. Estes resultados mantiveram-se significativos, mesmo após o controlo estatístico de outras variáveis que poderiam influenciar esta diferença, tais como a vitimação e o suporte social materno. Não foram encontradas diferenças entre os dois grupos ao nível da psicopatologia materna, práticas parentais e competência materna. As implicações dos resultados para a prática clínica são também discutidas.An investigation about children’s psychological adjustment after being exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) has some important limitations that need to be addressed, just as the use of samples that are exclusively from communities, through some transverse projects with self-related retrospective measurements. An important limitation of the literature is that there has not been found studies that analyze the impact of living in a shelter home vs. living at home with the mom along with her abusive partner in children’s’ psychological development and adjustment. Considering these limitations, this study had as objective to test differences among children that lived at shelter homes designated to IPV victims and children that live in their homes with the mom and the abusive partner. In this study the sample used was high risk, out of 155 mothers and 155 children, with mothers and children living in a shelter home and others living at home with their abusive partner. To test these differences, there was data collection about the child’s adjustment, such as the levels of internalization symptoms (SI) and externalization symptoms (SE), as well as variances of adjustment with the mother and parenting, been that the previous investigation indicated these as been predictors of children psychological adjustment, along with the frequency of the abuse, psychopathology, social support, parental practices and mother competence. Important results developed revealed that the mothers living at the shelter home show more problems of internalization and externalization on their children than mothers living with their partner. These results were significant, even after the statistic control of other variables that could have influence this difference, such as victimization and the mother’s social support. There were no differences found between the two groups related to the mother psychopathology, parental practices and competences from the mother. Results implications to a clinical practice are discussed as well

O novo ambiente de trabalho: diversidade ambiental e flexibilidade do espaço

The environmental impact, comfort and health issues of the glass-box building inspired, in the beginning of the decade of 1990, new architectural paradigms for the office building. However,  considerations to natural ventilation and daylight were already present in the iconic buildings from the first decade of the  modernism in Brazil and abroad.  But it was only since the last decades of the 20th century that the acknowledgement of the effects of more informal environments upon the productivity and satisfaction of the occupants led to the insertion of transitional spaces in the design of office buildings. These architectural changes are part of a more flexible notion of environmental comfort. Parallel to that, the evolution of information technology, added to the appearance of the knowledge economy, introduced new trends to the occupation patterns and routines in the working environment that value spaces qualified by vegetation, informal areas, visual communication between interior and exterior and daylight, resulting in interior spaces more opened to the exterior. This critical review of theories and case-studies  suggests a  working environment in which spaces such as balconies and gardens are added to interior spaces and become spaces to the diversity that constitute new offices of the XXI century.O impacto ambiental e os problemas de conforto e saúde nos edifícios da caixa de vidro inspiraram, no início da década de 1990, novos paradigmas arquitetônicos para a tipologia do edifício de escritório. Porém, as considerações para com à ventilação como iluminação natural eram marcantes já nas obras ícones das primeiras décadas do modernismo no Brasil e no exterior. Mas foi apenas a partir das duas últimas décadas do século XX que o reconhecimento dos efeitos de ambientes mais informais na satisfação e produtividade dos ocupantes levou à inserção de espaços de transição no projeto de escritórios. Estas mudanças arquitetônicas fazem parte de uma noção mais flexível de conforto ambiental. Paralelamente, a evolução das tecnologias de informação, somada ao surgimento da chamada economia do conhecimento, introduziu novas tendências para as rotinas de ocupação do ambiente de trabalho, que valorizam espaços qualificados pela vegetação, áreas informais, comunicação visual entre interior e exterior e luz natural, resultando em ambientes mais abertos ao exterior. A revisão crítica de teorias e estudos de caso sugere um ambiente de trabalho em que espaços alternativos como varandas e jardins tornam-se espaços potenciais para diversas atividades que constituem os novos escritórios do século XXI

Feline leishmaniasis: a review

Abstract According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Leishmaniasis’ endemic areas have spread and the prevalence of the disease has increased, as well as the number of reported cases. Europe is one of the most affected continents concerning the risk of re-emergency of this zoonosis. Feline Leishmaniasis (FeL) was for the first time described in Algeria, 1912. The significance of the cat as a reservoir of Leishmania and not simply an alternative host seems to be gaining ground, mainly because: i) cats can present increased seropositivity between serology analysis; ii) cats can be infected during some months and thus are available for sand flies; iii) cats transmit the Leishmania agent in a competent form. Furthermore, cats have behavioral characteristics that contribute to the infection by Leishmania infantum, and as such, FeL has been reported worldwide. When clinical signs of FeL are present, they are usually cutaneous, with unspecific dermatological changes, that frequently occur in other feline diseases and if not diagnosed can contribute to an underestimation of the actual occurrence of the disease in cats. The low seroprevalence titers along with the commonly asymptomatic infection in cats can further contribute to the underestimation of FeL occurrence. This work aims to bring up to date the current status of FeL infection worldwide. It comprises a review of the most recent case reports and surveillance studies. Although currently limited, the most relevant and recent information on the parasite, vector, epidemiology, pathology, and immune response is presented, as well as available diagnostic and treatment strategies. The knowledge of the epidemiological and immunopathological features of FeL, in some aspects so different from the Canine Leishmaniasis (CanL), can be used as a tool in an attempt to prevent infection and decrease the hazard that FeL can embody for both humans and cats

Monetary policy in a currency union with heterogeneous countries

Mestrado em Economia Monetária e FinanceiraWe build a two-country DSGE model for a currency union, with habit formation, product and labour differentiation and nominal rigidities. Monetary policy is defined by a rule that responds to the area's macro-variables averages weighted by each country's size. We intend to study the impact of different sources of heterogeneity between the countries (home bias in consumer preferences, wage and price mark-ups and wage and price setting rigidity) on both countries and the union. The model is calibrated and the response to shocks is simulated. The main innovation is the incorporation of several sources of heterogeneity and the assessment of its impact on welfare. The main results of the model simulation are the following: (i) only heterogeneity regarding the home bias can lead to differentials in consumer price inflation; (ii) heterogeneity regarding wage or price mark-ups does not lead to significantly different responses to shocks of the countries; (iii) heterogeneity on nominal rigidities results in differences among the countries' response, favouring the more flexible country and resulting in smoother and longer impacts when shocks occur in the more rigid country. We also examine the volatility of the variables and perform a formal utility-based welfare analysis. We find out that nominal rigidities are the most important source of heterogeneity. In a currency union where the central bank responds to the area wide and does not take into account national differences, it is preferable to increase flexibility in both countries and in both wages and prices, as there are significant welfare losses when countries attempt to make only wages or prices more flexible, or when only a single country is flexible. A comparison of different policy rules allows us to conclude that simpler rules (without interest rate smoothing) provide the best result in terms of welfare.É desenvolvido um modelo DSGE de dois países que formam uma união monetária, com hábitos no consumo, diferenciação de bens e de trabalho e rigidez nominal. A política monetária segue uma regra que responde à média das variáveis macro do agregado, ponderada pela dimensão do país. Pretende-se estudar o impacto de diferentes fontes de heterogeneidade entre os países (preferências no consumo enviesadas a favor de bens nacionais, mark-ups dos salários e preços e rigidez nos salários e preços) em ambos os países e na união. O modelo é calibrado e são simuladas as respostas a choques. A principal inovação consiste na incorporação de várias fontes de heterogeneidade e na avaliação do impacte em termos de bem-estar. As simulações do modelo levam aos principais resultados: (i) apenas a heterogeneidade no enviesamento das preferências do consumo provoca diferenciais na inflação no consumidor; (ii) heterogeneidade nos mark-ups de preços e salários não resulta em respostas significativamente diferentes entre os países; (iii) heterogeneidade no grau de rigidez nominal implica diferentes respostas dos países, favorecendo o país mais flexível e levando a respostas mais suaves e prolongadas quando os choques ocorrem no país mais rígido. Também se analisa a volatilidade das variáveis e o bem-estar de acordo com uma função formal derivada a partir da função utilidade. Conclui-se que a rigidez nominal é a fonte de heterogeneidade mais relevante. Numa união monetária onde o banco central responde à união e não considera as especificidades de cada país, é preferível aumentar a flexibilidade em ambos os países e nos preços e salários simultaneamente, dado que flexibilizar só salários ou preços, ou se só um país for flexível, leva a elevadas perdas de bem-estar. Conclui-se ainda que regras de política monetária simples (sem gradualismo da taxa de juro) promovem o melhor resultado de bem-estar

EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT SOURCES OF HYDROXYL ON BIOMASS PRETREATMENT AND HYDROLYSIS

Lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment is a fundamental step in the production of renewable fuels and chemicals. It is responsible for the disruption and removal of lignin and hemicellulose from the lignocellulosic matrix, improving the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose. Alkaline pretreatment has been shown to be successful on agricultural residues and dedicated energy crops. The objective of this study was to evaluate the pretreatment of switchgrass, wheat straw, corn stover, and miscanthus using calcium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, and sodium hydroxide at the same hydroxyl concentration, 60% moisture content, and two temperatures for seven days. Enzymatic hydrolysis was also performed and the glucose produced measured. The composition of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin before and after pretreatment were quantified according to the standard procedures developed by the NREL for biomass. The hydrolysis was performed at 50°C and 150 rpm. The enzyme loading was 60 FPU/g cellulose. Overall, calcium hydroxide pretreatment resulted in the lowest delignification and structural carbohydrates after pretreatment, as well as lowest glucose yield; In addition to having a higher cost and carbon dioxide emission then sodium and potassium hydroxides. Sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide had similar performance in terms of composition changes due to pretreatment and glucose yield after enzymatic hydrolysis

Supporting conceptualisation processes in collaborative networks: a case study on an R&D project

The development of new products or processes involves the creation, re-creation and integration of conceptual models from the related scientific and technical domains. Particularly, in the context of collaborative networks of organisations (CNO) (e.g. a multi-partner, international project) such developments can be seriously hindered by conceptual misunderstandings and misalignments, resulting from participants with different backgrounds or organisational cultures, for example. The research described in this article addresses this problem by proposing a method and the tools to support the collaborative development of shared conceptualisations in the context of a collaborative network of organisations. The theoretical model is based on a socio-semantic perspective, while the method is inspired by the conceptual integration theory from the cognitive semantics field. The modelling environment is built upon a semantic wiki platform. The majority of the article is devoted to developing an informal ontology in the context of a European R&D project, studied using action research. The case study results validated the logical structure of the method and showed the utility of the method

a secondary analysis of the IST-3 trial

Publisher Copyright: © 2021 André Vieira et al.Objectives. This study is aimed at identifying the best clinical model to predict poststroke independence at 6 and 18 months, considering sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, and then identifying differences between countries. Methods. Data was retrieved from the International Stroke Trial 3 study. Nine clinical variables (age, gender, severity, rt-PA, living alone, atrial fibrillation, history of transient ischemic attack/stroke, and abilities to lift arms and walk) were measured immediately after the stroke and considered to predict independence at 6 and 18 months poststroke. Independence was measured using the Oxford Handicap Scale. The adequacy, predictive capacity, and discriminative capacity of the models were checked. Countries were added to the final models. Results. At 6 months poststroke, 35.8% (n=1088) of participants were independent, and at 18 months, this proportion decreased to 29.9% (n=747). Both 6 and 18 months poststroke predictive models obtained fair discriminatory capacities. Gender, living alone, and rt-PA only reached predictive significance at 18 months. Poststroke patients from Poland and Sweden showed greater chances to achieve independence at 6 months compared to the UK. Poland also achieved greater chances at 18 months. Italy had worse chances than the UK at both follow-ups. Discussion. Six and eight variables predicted poststroke independence at 6 and 18 months, respectively. Some variables only reached significance at 18 months, suggesting a late influence in stroke patients' rehabilitation. Differences found between countries in achieving independence may be related to healthcare system organization or cultural characteristics, a hypothesis that must be addressed in future studies. These results can allow the development of tailored interventions to improve the outcomes.publishersversionpublishe

Educative practice of community health agents analyzed through the category of praxis

Este estudo teve como objetivos: analisar as concepções de educação em saúde que norteiam as práticas educativas dos agentes comunitários de saúde do Programa de Saúde da Família da Coordenadoria de Saúde da Subprefeitura do Butantã da cidade de São Paulo, e analisar o caráter dessas atividades educativas. A coleta de dados ocorreu por meio de grupos focais e entrevistas individuais com 39 agentes. Os procedimentos de análise seguiram as recomendações da análise temática, tendo a práxis como categoria de análise. Em relação à atividade teórica, componente da práxis, constatou-se que grande parte das concepções de educação em saúde se pautava na transmissão de informações normativas aprendidas com os técnicos de saúde. Essa atividade teórica acabou por guiar uma atividade prática característica da práxis reiterativa em que os agentes não participam do planejamento do processo de trabalho em saúde e não dominam o "objeto ideal", reproduzindo tarefas planejadas por outros.Este estudio tuvo como objetivos: analizar las concepciones de educación en salud que orientan las prácticas educativas de los agentes comunitarios de salud en el Programa de Salud de la Familia de la Coordinación de Salud de la Alcaldía menor de Butantã en la ciudad de São Paulo, Brasil; y analizar el carácter de esas actividades educativas. La colecta de datos ocurrió por medio de grupos focales y entrevistas individuales con 39 agentes. Los procedimientos de análisis siguieron las recomendaciones del análisis temático, teniendo la praxis como categoría de análisis. En relación a la actividad teórica, componente de la praxis, se constató que gran parte de las concepciones de educación en salud se basaba en la transmisión de informaciones normativas aprendidas con los técnicos de salud. Esa actividad teórica acabó por guiar una actividad práctica característica de la praxis reiterativa, en que los agentes no participan del planeamiento del proceso de trabajo en salud y no dominan el "objeto ideal", reproduciendo tareas planeadas por otros.This study aimed to: analyze the conceptions of health education that guide educational practices of community health agents in the Family Health Program of the Butantã Health Coordination, São Paulo, Brazil, and analyze the character of these educational activities. Data were collected through focus groups and in-depth semi-structured interviews with 39 agents. The analysis procedures followed the recommendations of thematic content analysis, and praxis was the analytical category. Regarding theoretical activity as a component of praxis, we found that most health education conceptions were based on the transmission of normative information learned from health technicians. This theoretical activity ended up guiding a practical activity typical of repetitive praxis, in which the agents do not participate in the health work planning process and do not dominate the "ideal object", reproducing tasks planned by others